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Show 1876.] MR. G. E. DOBSON ON THE MOLOSSI. 709 Inc. 2 ; pm. 2A2 * ears close together, tragus linear. (Subgen. MOLOSSUS, Ptrs.) 4. MOLOSSUS RUFUS. Molossus rufus, Geoffroy, Ann. du Mus. vi. (1805), p. 154; Gervais, Exped. de Castelnau, Zoologie, p. 58, pl. xii. figs. 4 and 4a (skull and teeth); Peters, Monatsb. Akad. Berl. 1865, p. 575. Molossus ursinus, Spix, Sim. et Vespert. Brasil. (1823), p. 58, pl. xxv. fig. iv. Dysopes alecto, Temminck, Monogr. Mammal, i. p. 231 (1835- 41). Dysopes holosericeus et albus, Natt., Wagner, Wiegm. Archiv, 1843, p. 368. (Fide Peters, Mon. Akad. Berl. 1866, p. 22.) Dysopes ursinus, Wagner, Suppl. Schreb. Saugeth. v. p. 709 (1855). Ears much shorter than the head, their inner margins arising close together, slightly in front of a line drawn between the eyes, from a point on the forehead, from which a sharp ridge passes forwards on the face to the nose : outer and inner margins of the ear-conch convex, forming almost a regular semicircle; antitragus circular, arising by a narrow base from which it expands equally anteriorly and posteriorly ; tragus minute, linear, acutely pointed. Extremity of the muzzle obtuse, rounded, projecting beyond the mandible ; the nasal apertures directed forwards and slightly outwards, separated by a considerable interval (which is covered with short erect hairs dilated at their extremities) from the margin of the lip, beyond which the extremity of the nose scarcely projects ; lips thick, smooth, without wrinkles. In the male, the opening of a large glandular sac directed forwards is found opposite the anterior extremity of the sternum ; in the female this sac is much smaller. Wings from the ankles. Fur very short, deep reddish brown above and beneath. The face and ears are nearly naked. On the upper surface, the wing-membrane is covered as far as a line drawn from the middle of the humerus to the middle of the femur, and short fur extends upon half the antebrachial membrane, and behind the distal two-thirds of the forearm to the carpus, covering also the angle between the fourth and fifth metacarpal bones; behind, the base of the interfemoral membrane also is covered. Beneath, the fur of the body extends upon the wing-membrane almost as far outwards as a line drawn from the elbow to the knee ; and a band passes outwards behind the elbow, becoming gradually wider towards the carpus, till it occupies a space there extending from the forearm to the middle of the metacarpal bone of the fourth finger, beyond which it passes and occupies the angle between it and the metacarpal of the third finger, being limited in its extent outwards by the muscular band extending to the wing-membrane in this position; a small space between the proximal extremity of the fifth metacarpal and the short muscular band extending from the end of the forearm to the wing-membrane is naked. PROC. ZOOL. Soc-1876, No. XLVII. 47 |